21 Jan 2025

Incredible wildlife observations from a day at sea

It was an eventful day at sea on our In the Wake of Scott & Shackleton voyage! Following breakfast, Heritage Adventurer started cruising along the fast ice edge of McMurdo Sound.

Despite the intense cold from the wind and snow (around -20 degrees Celsius with wind chill), many of us went onto the decks to observe an abundance of Adélie Penguins, seals, and Emperor Penguins.

As lunchtime began, we had a close pass from the icebreaker USCGC Polar Star, allowing us to view her at work as she cleared the channel for McMurdo Station again. Following lunch, we continued along the fast ice edge, encountering numerous Emperor Penguins. By mid-afternoon, a group of Emperor Penguins and a small pod of Orcas were spotted approaching along the ice edge. Passing by, they provided stunning views and distinct dorsal fins to aid Orca identification research.

Shortly after, we spotted another two large pods of Orca also proceeding along the ice whilst observing more Emperor penguins. We were fortunate to have a fantastic viewing of the penguins as the Orca approached in two distinct pods - providing truly spectacular viewing both ahead and alongside the vessel, again with a couple of spy hops.
It was awe-inspiring to consider the landscape, icescape and amount of wildlife we witnessed on a day with such Antarctic weather!

Images © C. Finch & S. Tranmer, Heritage Expeditions